Lavacrete Accent Media Wall
We're continuing to push the boundaries of Lavacrete to create a beautiful, unique accent wall in our Hyperadobe Roundhouse complete with outlets, networking, 3D media insets, and inset lighting. All tinted and poured to a single monolithic color with natural layers and variations. It's gonna be cool.
If don't know what Lavacrete, is, it's an under-the-radar alternative building technique that uses scoria sand combined with portland cement, lime, and rebar to create thermally efficient, highly compressive walls that need no finishing work.
Watch this video to learn more:
Lavacrete Benefits
- Thermally Stable - The porosity and material itself allows for a perfect temperature at the root zone for the plants so they don't get too hot or cold
- Porous Nature - Air pockets in the scoria sand and the way the material is laid means your soil is oxygenated naturally
- Termite Resistant - Lava sand is often used as a termite barrier because it's sharp and hard for them to dig through
- Non-Toxic Properties - Scoria is generally considered non-toxic, safe for landscaping, and eco-friendly
- Low Labor Intensity - The process of mixing lavacrete and lightly compacting the material in forms is simple and easy on your body
- No Finish Work Needed - Lavacrete needs no plastering or finishing work, and the result is a gorgeous natural wall
- Cost Effective - Scoria sand is a byproduct of landscaping lava rock, and can be cheap if you're near a cinder mine
Lavacrete Accent Wall Plan
Since we first laid eyes on Lavacrete we knew we wanted to feature it in our Hyperadobe Roundhouse. We'll be designing and building a 10'W x 12'H accent wall with utilities, mount points, insets for media and even custom lit niches.
It will serve as a center focal point in our main room, be tinted a beautiful layered black color, and have gorgeous organic rounded corners.
This wall will also aid in thermal mass transfer, adding an additional 18" of buffer on our South facing wall to extend the release time and keep the large living area warm in the winter.
We invited Paul Schwam and Guru Das back to the homestead for a weekend workshop to build the wall - but first we had to prep the area.
Step 1: Footing & Lavacrete Form Prep
Today we’re prepping for the Lavacrete Accent Wall Workshop! That means finalizing our plans, pouring the concrete footer, building the first forms, and finding room for 24 tons of lava sand. But some last minute changes might make this wall way more complicated than we thought.
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About the Author
Jonathan Longnecker is the strongly opinionated tattooed and bearded half of Tiny Shiny Home. He loves making music, figuring out nerdy solutions, exploring the outdoors, and living off-grid.
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